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Review and Measurements of New JDS Labs Atom Headphone Amp

Veri

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Also https://blog.jdslabs.com/2018/11/jds-labs-atom-amp-official-release-benchmarks/

atom-amp-pcb-v100.png
 

xineis

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How does the Atom pair with sensitive IEMs?

I know it wasn't designed for that, but I have both an IEM and a power hungry can.

EDIT ---------------------------------------
Also, that 60 Hz spike is due to the power circuit, right? It probably isn't audible, but I didn't see the usual highlight about this behavior.
 

Hemicrusher

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I'll be keeping my Magni 3, but would easily recommend this if someone was looking for a headphone amp. My main issue is the plastic build. I know it makes no difference, but for me it is a step down in build compared to the Magni 3. I just like the feel and look of metal. Other than that, I have no complaints.
 

Veri

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Some questions I asked JDS:

It is plastic because it uses an injection molded assembly, a JDS labs first:
Atom Amp is our first all injection molded assembly. Because we primarily create aluminum enclosures at JDS Labs, we proceeded with caution, meaning one design at at time. Fortunately, Atom Amp fit together smoothly thanks to our production partners and the power of 3D printing.

"No engraving option?"
–Correct! Laser engraving requires an anodized aluminum surface, so it is only possible on Objective and Element amps and DACs.

"Won't Element/EL Amp be upgraded too now that Atom is out and beats all the rest?"
–Also correct--we've now set an exceptionally high standard. The R&D from Atom development easily translates to other designs. Any good design takes time.

About the power supply:
The amplifier is powered by +/-15VDC rails derived from internal AC rectification. Our standard 15VAC 500mA transformer was suitable for most listening, but we’re shipping Atom Amp with our larger 16VAC 1000mA supplies. The extra transformer capacity helps drive demanding sets.

So yeah, more high-end versions of their new amp design will follow-up :) eventually.
 

March Audio

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Any particular reason :)?

BTW, if there is any kind of revision– would you consider an XLR out on the amp? Doesn't need to be balanced, just for convenience. I'm sure there's other neurotics that would appreciate XLR pin-out, even as a more expensive add-on option.

Simply that the other products were the easiest and most developed to get into the shop and on sale. Business not technical, hence the effort has been concentrated on those items first.

XLR may be considered for future design iterations, but not for the initial release. A 4 pin Xlr would be effectively connected 3 pin in any case, and in global market terms would be a requirement for a tiny proportion of customers.
 

DataX

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Amazing performance at this price point. @amirm it appears there's a large 60 Hz mains hum in the dashboard view, if this is coming from the included power brick, would it be possible to improve performance even further with a cleaner / higher quality power supply?
 

mindbomb

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Some people were speculating on what the buffer was. Their website now lists the atom and says it is an lme49600 amp.
 
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amirm

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Amazing performance at this price point. @amirm it appears there's a large 60 Hz mains hum in the dashboard view, if this is coming from the included power brick, would it be possible to improve performance even further with a cleaner / higher quality power supply?
It is the nature of unbalanced interconnect to induce ground loops between my instrument and the device being tested. Also, when you use a real headphone instead of my analyzer, it has no power so such ground loops may disappear in practice. Or be worse due to what you connect upstream to it. Either way, I would not chase another power supply unless you are hearing hum, etc.

Note that this is an AC transformer, not DC. So you can't just buy a linear supply and attach to it.
 

pos

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Great review, thank you Amir!
This looks like a bargain for sure.
I would be curious to see how it behaves with lower impedance loads, say 16 ohm or lower...
 
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amirm

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Generally speaking, with this kind of preview-review, there is a risk that the manufacturer sends a "golden unit" to @amirm, I think.
Test of a unit bought on the market is a little bit more valuable, to me.
When John reached out to me, this was a concern for both of us. He was very clear that he liked the fact that in the past I had tested random customer unit. The issue was that someone had posted on their facebook page that they would not believe the specs unless I tested them! So he asked me what I thought. I told him that my preference for sure was to test units I have bought or members send in. But that I make an exception if a device is not available in the market because then it provides the only independent data available. Since this was the case here, we proceeded as such.

I am happy to test another unit if someone wants to buy one and send it to me. Given how cheap this device is, I assume John knows that such a thing can easily happen and not send me a golden sample. But we can make sure.
 
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amirm

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Great review, thank you Amir!
This looks like a bargain for sure.
I would be curious to see how it behaves with lower impedance loads, say 16 ohm or lower...
My pleasure. Is it rated that low?
 

Silou

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The shipping costs are just too damn high. I would have to pay 37.13$ to ship it to Germany. That is more than a third of the devices price... If I add the 19% tax to the price it is nearly double as expensive as the standard price of the atom. It is not even possible to share the shipping costs with other people because the price rises extremely. If I order three devices I would have to pay nearly 76$ for shipping. Ridiculous...
 
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amirm

amirm

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The shipping costs are just too damn high. I would have to pay 37.13$ to ship it to Germany. That is more than a third of the devices price... If I add the 19% tax to the price it is nearly double as expensive as the standard price of the atom. It is not even possible to share the shipping costs with other people because the price rises extremely. If I order three devices I would have to pay nearly 76$ for shipping. Ridiculous...
Wouldn't you have to pay the VAT even if you bought one locally?
 

Silou

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Wouldn't you have to pay the VAT even if you bought one locally?
I am not familiar with the import laws, but I think you are right. I remember that my grandma bought something in the US once and she did not report it to the german "Zoll". They caught here and she had to pay a lot of money afterwards, because you have to pay the VAT even if you buy it locally. The VAT is not the problem here, but the high shipping costs are.
 

xineis

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The shipping costs are just too damn high. I would have to pay 37.13$ to ship it to Germany. That is more than a third of the devices price... If I add the 19% tax to the price it is nearly double as expensive as the standard price of the atom. It is not even possible to share the shipping costs with other people because the price rises extremely. If I order three devices I would have to pay nearly 76$ for shipping. Ridiculous...

Dude, shipping and taxes are so high where I live that I end up paying double for anything I buy from either US or EU...
 

maty

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Amazing performance at this price point. @amirm it appears there's a large 60 Hz mains hum in the dashboard view, if this is coming from the included power brick, would it be possible to improve performance even further with a cleaner / higher quality power supply?

But more than 120 dB. It is a very good data!!!!

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